Luke 17:1-10
Be still: As I sit quietly with you, God, please meet me through your Word. Give me ears to hear you and eyes to see the movement of your Holy Spirit in my life right now. Amen.
Read: Luke 17:1-10
‘...If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day... you must forgive them’. (vv3-4)
Encounter: Jewish rabbis taught that forgiving someone more than three times was unnecessary, citing Amos 1:3-13 where God forgave Israel’s enemies three times, then punished them. In that context, Jesus’ teaching was becoming more and more radical.
A lifestyle of forgiveness is encouraged throughout the New Testament, and to step into the abundant life promised by Jesus, forgiveness, as hard as it may be to sometimes do, is an imperative for us, as his followers.
However, it is a much-misunderstood idea, even within the church. At its most fundamental, for as long as we choose not to forgive someone, our personal relationship with God will be affected.
Forgiveness is a spiritual issue, and has less to do with who we are struggling to forgive, and more to do with us, releasing ourselves from the toxic influence that they may have had, or are still having, over us. We are empowered as we move from being victims to overcomers.
Forgiving someone who has hurt us very deeply does not mean letting them off the hook. God never says that what was said or done to us was ok, or small, or inconsequential. God says, ‘it is mine to avenge’. And he will.
Forgiveness is a choice that we make. It is not a feeling, and if we wait until we are ready to forgive, that day will probably never come! And…forgiving another does not require us to tolerate ongoing abuse.
Forgiveness allows our wounds to heal and brings freedom to our souls.
‘Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us’ The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:12 NLT)
Apply: Take a moment to ask the Holy Spirit if there are those you need to forgive —choose to let them go and step into greater freedom.
Devote: Father God — I acknowledge that I have been the recipient of your unlimited grace. I choose to live a lifestyle of generosity of heart towards any who have hurt me. I want to reflect you in all my relationships.